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THE CASE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY. 
 
 IN 
 
 A LETTER 
 
 TO 
 
 LORD PALMERSTON 
 
 BY 
 
 ANDREW FREEPORT. 
 
 LONDON: 
 EDWARD STANFORD, 6, CHARING CROSS. 
 
 1857. 
 
*■ • 
 
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 I ■ I ■• -r 
 
 -5v 
 
 l i 
 
 </ jS- 
 
 -^■J 'feiirii 
 
TO 
 
 THE RIGHT HONORABLE 
 
 LORD PALMER STON 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 It is generally a thankless office to direct the 
 attention of Governments to subjects that are not in 
 accordance with their own views, and more particularly 
 so to call the attention of the First Minister of the 
 Crown to national evils, if the expose do not coincide 
 with his own political sentiments. But when the rights 
 of the Kation are assailed, the means of redress are in the 
 power of the People, who have a constitutional claim on 
 Parliament to relieve their grievances. 
 
 It is this privilege that induces me to address your 
 Lordship. * 
 
 How did it happen, my Lord, that the principal 
 Members of the Government seemed so passive, when 
 the late discussions took place in the House of Commons, 
 on the renewal of the Charter of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company ? Did it not occur to you that the renewal 
 of it would be an infringement of the rights of the 
 people, or were you silent in deference to the opinions 
 entertained by Mr. Labouchere ? 
 
 It cannot be that Mr. Labouchere is seeking to obtain 
 private or political influence by acquiescing in, or giving 
 a partial advocacy to, the interests of the Company, for 
 such a course is derogatory to the general opinion enter- 
 tained of his political views, although his late remarks 
 
i 
 
 on this subject would lead to that conclusion. Surely he 
 does not imagine that Lord Grey's Colonial administra- 
 tion in 1849 was so pre-eminent in virtue as to deserve 
 imitation, neither can he be ignorant that, the renewal 
 of an obsolete Charter, to the detriment of the Nation, 
 would be an act of injustice. 
 
 This question should not be considered one of faction, 
 or of party, or of individual right, neither should it be 
 hurried unnecessanly through Parliament, for the 
 Common Right of the Nation is interested in it. 
 
 It cannot be said, that British territories occupying 
 an area one-third larger than the whole of Europe, are 
 too insignificant for the calm and mature deliberation 
 of Government ; neither should the rights of the Crown 
 again be allowed to succumb to the benefit of a few 
 private individuals. 
 
 The country is at length copnisant of the injustice 
 done in 1849, and the people are not again disposed to 
 suffer an invasion of their rights, even, though their 
 resistance lead to the fall of a Ministry. 
 
 I trust it is only necessary to call the attention of 
 your Lordship to this subject, so that when it is again 
 introduced to Parliament, it may derive that support, 
 which is consistent with the rights of the Crown, the 
 claims of the Nation, and the freedom of Commerce, 
 
 V i»t. :\ 
 
 -,/-tri^ i'-^ 
 
 I am. 
 
 My Lord, 
 Your Lordship's well-wisher, 
 
 ANDREW FREEPORT. 
 
 LONDON, 18th May, 1857. 
 
THE 
 
 GOVERNMENT 
 
 AND THE 
 
 HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY. 
 
 w 
 
 ;; f The discussions that lately took place in Parliament 
 on the propriety of renewing a Charter granted to the 
 Hudson's Bay Company by King Charles the Second, in 
 the year 1670, seemed to develop facts and give rise to 
 startling apprehensions, with which the public mind was not 
 familiar. Few persons appeared to know that such a Charter 
 was even in existence, and nearly all who have read the 
 debates on the subject seem at a loss to imagine how Govern- 
 ment, acting upon the constitutional politics of the day, could 
 justify the supposition that the renewal of a Charter would 
 be tolerated, that is so diametrically opposed to the interest of 
 every British subject. 
 
 The Charter granted by King Charles to the Hudson's 
 Bay Company is one of those old obsolete Charters, which 
 gives them rights and inimunitiss that are incompatible with 
 the policy and feelings of the present day, and in direct con- 
 travention to all the principles of independent Commerce and 
 Free 2'rade, 
 
 It appears that the Directors of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company ore endeavouring to cajole the Government, into 
 granting them a renewal of this Charter, which expires in 1859, 
 and for that purpose a Committee of the House of Commons 
 was lately appointed to enquire into the facts relating thereto. 
 But as this subject, which is one of great importance to the 
 British nation, must shortly be brought again before the 
 
9 
 
 House of Commons, the following statements and observations 
 have been put together, with the hope of shewing, what ^re 
 the points really deserving of attention and consideration, in 
 relation to the question of how the Hudson's Bay Company 
 ought to be dealt with by Parliament. 
 
 Now, amongst the practically important questions, surely 
 that, which it seems is to be referred to the judicial Committee 
 of the Privy Council, is not one. It cannot be worth the time 
 or attention of any one to discuss whether the Crown has a 
 right to delegate, by a Charter, to a body of its subjects, the 
 soil and freehold in some millions of square miles of territory, 
 with power to make laws, to levy war and make peace with all 
 nations, not being Christians, and to exclude all persons from 
 trading within such territory, at pleasure. 
 
 Are the Ministry ignorant that Charles the Second's Charter 
 to the East India Company, purported to convey to them just 
 the same tremendous powers — powers which Parliament long 
 ago began to mould into a more moderate and national form, 
 casting away all idle speculations on the prerogative. Suppose 
 the lawyers to have settled, ever so satisfactorily to themselves, 
 the power of the Crown, that is, of the Minister of the day, 
 to grant in perpetuity any portion of the national territory, 
 with jurisdiction, &c., and all other rights of sovereignty, with 
 exclusive trade, still, for the nation, the real question to be 
 decided is, shall this be law any longer ? Surely any enquiry 
 into the validity of this Charter must needs turn out as unprofit- 
 able, except for the purpose of diverting attention from the 
 reality, as would be an enquiry, whether the ordinance of 
 Edward the Third in tlie year 1337, that none should wear 
 furs who had not an income of £100 a year, was legal or not. 
 
 In the society of every-day life, with its frivolity, etc., 
 perhaps the most soporific of subjects for conversation is the 
 Colonies. But so ill-informed, and so little desirous of 
 information are people in general, respecting the vast ter- 
 ritories in North America which bear the British name, of 
 which some three millions of square miles are under the rule 
 of this Company, that any person who in private seeks to attach 
 
 ,/«■ 
 
an interest, or even to arrest attention to such topics, may well 
 look out for failure. 
 
 But in the Great Council, on whose wisdom and prudence 
 depends so deeply, the weal or woe of the dependencies of 
 England, there should prevail far other views. A lively sense of 
 their arduous duty and unspeakable responsibility should be 
 felt by each member of the body — the picked men of twenty- 
 seven millions ! There should be an earnest desire to become 
 acquainted with the facts, a full knowledge and profound con- 
 sideration of which can alone At them, for the conscientious 
 discharge of those high duties, which they have sought tlie 
 opportunity, and the charge, and honor of performing. 
 
 Alas for public virtue! When, in 1849, Lord Lincoln 
 pressed this subject on the House of Commons, shewing from 
 our early colonial history how Virginia, Massachusetts, 
 New England, indeed all our early possessions in North 
 America, had languished so long as their affairs were managed 
 by absentee proprietory bodies, springing up and flourishing 
 only when those Companies were dissolved ; shewing, too, that 
 of all the Companies that had ever exercised territorial power, the 
 Hudson's Bay Company was the worst qualified to develop 
 the resources of a country, and had in fact done the least, for 
 it had done nothing towards performing, or even commencing 
 the performance of, the great duty with which it was charged, 
 viz., of enlightening, civilizing, and ameliorating the condition 
 of the numerous tribes, whose destinies are in its hands ; shewing 
 its powers of government to be absolute, unfettered by a pro- 
 vision for the liberty of the subject; that it was despotic, 
 secret, irresponsible : — all failed to stir the lazy apathy of 
 the men whom England trusted with the guardianship of her 
 interests and honor — Her Majesty's faithful Commons were 
 counted out. But this was not all, for shortly afterwards Lord 
 Grey, being then Colonial Minister, found no difficulty in 
 getting the assent of Parliament to an arrangement, by which 
 the valuable possession of Vancouver's Island was added, 
 with large powers, to the then existing territories of the ' 
 Company. 
 
I 
 
 \<l; 
 
 This thing, it is hoped, wiU not happen again, although the 
 Honorable Edward Ellice (who is Lord Orey's brother-in-law) 
 is still reported to be a large proprietor, deeply interested in 
 the concerns of the Company; and, strange to say, his son 
 (who is a Director of the Company) has again been appointed a 
 member of the Committee, to whom the House of Commons 
 has referred the investigation of the conduct and proceedings of 
 the Company, thus being at once judge and party in the 
 trial. 
 
 But a new Parliament is assembled, and it is to be hoped 
 that few honorable Members will be found ready to sanction, 
 by their votes, a repetition or imitation of the measures of 
 1849, provided only that they can be awakened to the merits 
 of the question. 
 
 This Company trades in Furs and Peltries of all kinds, 
 obtained from the Indian tribes ; who, to the number, Mr. 
 Ellice states, of about 300,000, roam over their immense 
 territories. The mode of traffic is this. At points in the 
 rivers throughout the country are established Posts, us they 
 are called, which are more or less fortified places, all piovided 
 with ample munitions of war, some with cannon, whereto the 
 natives bring the skins for sale. On these a value is fixed by 
 the " gentleman in charge*' of the place, and the price is paid 
 in wooden counters, no coined money being allowed to circu- 
 late. In another room are exposed for sale a stock of 
 blankets, cloth, guns, knives, pots, &c. &c., and for such of 
 these things as he desires the simple savage pays his counters, 
 until they are exhausted, the result being a profit on the goods 
 thus bartered of at least two hundred per cent, to the Com- 
 pany, as rippears from the evidence of an old employ^ of theirs, 
 given before the late Committee. A more efiective device for 
 securing an absolute grinding monopoly was never invented* 
 
 Have the Company during the 180 years of their sway, 
 formed any plan, or taken any steps to induce these wretched 
 people, the instruments of their enormous gains, to adopt a 
 more settled and comfortable mode of Ijfe ? Have they sought 
 to introduce some knowledge of agriculture, supplied seeds. 
 
 /T 
 
tools, or nnimals ? Above all, has any one measure been 
 adopted for improving their moral condition, or for educating 
 their children in any one instance? To all this they give no 
 answer. The Company indeed talk a good deal of the Mis- 
 sionaries whom they have ** introduced" among the Salteaux 
 Indians, but this curiously vague phrase must not be under- 
 stood as though the Company paid or provided these men. 
 They were sent out and supported by the Church Missionary 
 society, and the Wesleyan Missionary society. Even at the 
 colony of Red River, originally founded by Lord Selkirk, who 
 brought over a body of Highlanders and Orkney men to 
 people it, and where the Company's old and retired servants 
 mostly settle with their families ; forming, with the half 
 castes, a population of about 5000 persona, consisting of 
 Roman Catholics and Protestants; the Company, though 
 liberal enough to make "an allowance" to the Romish eccle- 
 siastics, are not liberal enough to enable them to dispense with 
 the necessity of exacting tithes, '* amounting to the 26th bushel 
 of all kinds of grain." 
 
 As to the charges of the Prostestant worship, " they are 
 defrayed partly by the Company and partly by the Church 
 Missionary society." The charges of education, these are the 
 statements of Sir George Simpson we are quoting : " as to 
 four -fifths of them fall upon the Church Missionary society, 
 the remaining fifth is borne by such individual parents, as are 
 able and willing to spare fifteen shillings a year for the moral 
 and intellectual culture of the child." It was to the exertions, 
 not of the Company, but of Dr. Mountain, the Bishop of 
 Quebec, that the scattered inhabitants of the Hudson's Bay 
 territories are indebted, for the appointment of a Bishop. 
 Hearing of the increasing number of the inhabitants of the 
 settlement, and of their spiritual destitution, he undertook the 
 long and adventurous journey to Red River, and the appoint- 
 ment of Dr. Anderson was the result. 
 
 Then Mr. Labouchere tells us "the Company has at its head 
 gentlemen of the highest character and sagacity residing in 
 London." In 1821, when, with the sanction of Parliament, 
 
I 
 
 iiii 
 
 11 
 
 the Company obtained a lease for 21 years (renewed for a like 
 period in 1842), of an additional territory, did they or did they 
 not bind themselves " to make due provision for the civilization 
 and moral and religious improvement of the natives ?" Now 
 there is no evidence to be found of more having been done by 
 the Company or its Directors during 36 years to redeem the 
 above-stated pledge — there is evidence to the contrary, and 
 notwithstanding the honeysuckle phrases of Mr. Labouchere, 
 there are persons who are beginning to doubt the high character 
 of a Director, who, as such, sanctions breaches of duty and 
 obligation, which, if committed in private life, would earn no- 
 thing but reprobation and contempt. 
 It api>ears to be an old habit of this body to slip the yoke of 
 obligation. The Charter of 1670 they loudly declare is valid 
 and legal : in that case its obligations are binding on them. 
 Now, the principal condition on which the Charter was originally 
 granted bound them to make exertions for the discovery of 
 the North- West Passage. And Mr. Gladstone plainly declared, 
 ''AH those expeditions which have been made by the ad- 
 venturous navigators of England during the nineteenth 
 centur;', at an enormous cost to the country, ought by 
 right to have been paid out of the revenues of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company." 
 
 But the real questions are incomparably more weighty than 
 the character and sagacity of any knot of money makers. The 
 character really involved, is the character of the people of 
 Efkgland for justice and humanity ; the sagacity required, is 
 that of the imperial policy, which shall administer these vast 
 regions for the best advantage of ourselves, t. e. of the nation at 
 large, and of mankind in general. Is the whole upper section 
 of the American Continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to 
 be left in the hands of these men, locked up from access to the 
 energy and capital of English colonists, in order that fur animals 
 may increase and multiply, and until the Americans, who are 
 now crowding into the adjoining territory of Minnesota, may by 
 and by swarm over the boundary line, and without impediment 
 occupy, and annex, the vacant domain at their pleasure ? 
 
 I 
 
No doubt the Company's tone at present is to represent the 
 country as being unfit for colonization, much of the land being 
 (as they say) incapable of cultivation, and the climate such as 
 no one would encounter who was not paid for it. Whilst this 
 is their language of to-day, it is interesting to notice the 
 difference of expression that exists in the same mind, when it 
 nariates for liistorical information in 1847, and when it speaks 
 for an interested object in 1857. 
 
 In 1841 Sir George Simpson, (who is the Govemor-in- 
 Chief of the Hudson's Bay Conpany,) travelled across their 
 dominions, and in his " Journey round the World," published 
 in 1847, whilst describing his journey from Montreal to Red 
 River, he frequently breaks out in admiration of the splendid 
 country through which he passed. In Vol. I, page 36, he 
 speaks of the river being studded with isles not less fertile 
 and lovely than its banks, and many a Kpot reminded them 
 of the rich and quiet scenery of England — with violets, roses, 
 and many other wild flowers spangling the paths, while the 
 currant, gooseberry, raspberry, plum, cherry, and even the 
 vine grew in abundance. And it would be difficult to describe 
 a country in more glowing colors than is given in his narrative 
 at pages 45 and 46, where he states " the river which 
 empties Lac la Pluie into the lake of the woods, is, in more 
 than one respect, decidedly the finest stream on the whole 
 route. From Fort Frances downward, a stretch of nearly 
 one hundred miles, it is not interrupted by a single impe- 
 diment, while yet the current is not strong enough 
 materially to retard an ascending traveller. Nor are the 
 banks less favourable to agriculture than the waters themselves 
 to navigation, resembling, in some measure, those of the 
 Thames near Richmond. From the very brink of the river 
 there rises a gentle slope of green sward, crowned in many 
 places with a plentiful growth of birch, poplar, beech, elm, 
 and oak." 
 
 So beautiful is the scenery in the vicinity of Lac la Pluie, 
 that Sir George breaks forth in prophetic extacy, and writes : 
 " Is it too much for the eye of philanthropy to discern, throuxjh 
 
8 
 
 \i 
 
 - \ 
 
 the vista of futurity, this noble stream, connecting, ai it does, 
 the fertile shores of two spacious lakes, with crowded steam- 
 boats in its bosom, and populous towns on its borders ?" 
 Speaking afterwards of the Lake of the Woods, he says : 
 " though the shores of this sheet of water are more rocky 
 than those of Lac la Pluie, yet they are very fertile, pro- 
 ducing the rice already mentioned in abundance, and 
 bringing maize to perfection^ The lake is also literally 
 studded with woody islands, from which it has doubtless 
 derived its name ; and these islands, being exempted from 
 nocturnal frosts, which exist chiefly in the neighbourhood 
 of swamps, are better adapted than the main land for 
 cultivation." 
 
 At page 53, speaking of the Colony at Red River settle- 
 ment, he says, " the soil proved rich and productive, and the 
 plough me.t with no obstruction ; the usual American step 
 necessarily taken for clearing away the forest, previous to 
 tilling the land, was not required. At page 55, it is stated, 
 " the soil at Red River settlement is a black mould of con- 
 siderable depth, which, when first tilled, produces extraordinary 
 crops, as much on some occasions as forty returns of wheat ; 
 and, even after twenty successive years of cultivation, 
 without the relief of manure, or of fallow, or of green crop, it 
 still yields from fifteen to twenty-five bushels per acre. The 
 wheat produced is plump and heavy ; there are also large 
 quantities of grain of all kinds, besides beef, mutton, pork, 
 butter, cheese, and wool in abundance." 
 
 Although subject to heavy snow falls and occasional 
 spring fioodings, it does not seem more inclement than some of 
 the counties in the North of England. 
 
 At page 84, he speaks of the Saskatchewan being a quarter 
 of a mile wide, and navigable for boats upwards of 700 miles 
 in a direct line ; and at page 85, he describes animal food so 
 abundant as to be wasted by the Indians from mere wanton- 
 ness. At page 86, " their route lay over a hilly country, so 
 picturesque in its character, that almost every commanding 
 position presented the elements of an interesting panorama." 
 
t 
 
 ! ! 
 
 At page 90, he speaks of seeing buffaloes to the number of 
 5000, and at page 91, says •* provisions were so abundant that 
 after taking the tongues they left the carcases to the mercy of 
 the wolves." At page 101, speaking of Edmonton, he says 
 " the vicinity is rich in mineral productions ; a seam of coal, 
 about ten feet in depth, can be traced for a very considerable 
 distance along both sides of the river. At page 102 the tribes 
 of the Saskatchewan District are given as numbering 16,730 
 souls, and Sir George goes on to say, " Small as this census is 
 for a territory at least as large as England, the force of the 
 Company's servants is infinitely smaller ;" and then he relates 
 how cleverly one of their people, with the quickness of thought, 
 sheathed a dagger in the heart of an Indian. 
 
 At page 1 74, speaking of the Company's dairy at Willamette, 
 he says "this beautiful Island is fifteen miles in length by seven 
 at its greatest breadth, covered with abundance of timber and 
 the richest pasturage;" and at page 178 he describes their 
 dairy on the Cowlitz Farm as follows : " On the Cowlitz 
 Farm there were already about 1000 acres of land under 
 the plough, besides a large dairy, an extensive park for horses, 
 etc., and the crops of the season had amounted to 8 or 9000 
 bushels of wheat, 4000 of oats, and due proportions of barley, 
 potatoes, etc. The other farm was on the shores of Puget 
 Sound ; and as its soil was found to be better fitted for pastur- 
 age than tillage, it had been appropriated almost exclusively to 
 the flocks and herds, so that now, with only 200 acres of 
 cultivated land, it possessed 6000 sheep, 1200 cattle, besides 
 horses, pigs, etc. In addition to these two farms there was a 
 Catholic Mission, with about 160 acres under the plough " 
 
 *' The Climate is propitious, while the seasons are remark- 
 ably regular. Between the beginning of April and the end of 
 September there is a continuance of dry weather, generally 
 warm, and often hot, the mercury having this year (1841) risen 
 at Nisqually to 107° in the shade. March and October are 
 unsettled and showery, and during the four months of winter 
 there is almost constant rain, while the temperature is so mild 
 that the sheep and cattle not only remain out of doors, but 
 
even find fresh grass for themselves from day to day." At 
 page 181, they arrive at Fort Nisqually, on the evening of the 
 fourth day from Fort Vancouver, and there, it is stated, " The 
 Sound yields plenty of fish, such as salmon, rock cod, halibut, 
 flounders, etc. ;" and at page 182 Sir George writes, "The 
 neighbouring country, comprising the southern end of Van- 
 couver's Island, is well adapted for cultivation ; for in addition 
 to a tolerable soil and a moderate climate, it possesses excellent 
 harbours and abundance of timber. It will doubtless become, 
 in time, the most valuable section of the whole coast above 
 California." 
 
 Sir George Simpson, says, (Vol. I. page 47) that in 1841, 
 with a company of forty persons, and many cart loads of stores 
 and heavy goods, he travelled from Montreal to Red River in 
 thirty-eight days, being about two thousand miles. The fact 
 is, that the extraordinary number of rivers, navigable like the 
 Ottawa, with boats, for hundreds of miles at a stretch, notwith- 
 standing that in places the rapids and waterfalls render 
 portages necessary, are adapted most materially to facilitate 
 transport and traffic, and render possible such speed as above. 
 But there is a material difference in the mode of transit now, 
 through the different States, from what there was in 1841. 
 Railroads have, and are making giant strides through the 
 Continent of America : within about twelve months from this 
 time a railway will be completed to Fond du Lac, the extreme 
 north-west point of Lake Superior, which is in a direct line 
 from New York and Montreal to Red River settlement ; and 
 about one hundred and fifty miles more of railway through the 
 State of Minnesota, (which is sure to be opened in the course 
 of a few years), will connect Red River settlement by rail with 
 the whole of the Atlantic sea board. 
 
 But, independent of railways, it is not meant to say, that 
 emigrants could command all the resources v.^. Sir George 
 Simpson had at his disposal, but only that where nature has 
 done so much, it is impossible to believe, but that plenty of 
 colonizable land is to be had with less than the average diffi- 
 culty of access in the Far West of America. However, it is 
 
 L 
 
! I 
 
 ^ 
 
 sufficiently clear the colonists are not happy under the 
 Company's rule, else why did a large body of the Scotch 
 whom Lord Selkirk brought over, quit the settlement at Red 
 River, after a sufficient trial, in order to begin the world 
 again in America ? v r . 
 
 Enough has been quoted to shew the high estimation 
 in which Sir George held those various tracts of land 
 over which he travelled. But after carrying the imagination 
 to those large districts which Mr. Labouchere said *' were 
 admi'ahly suited to the use and enjoyment of civilized man, 
 some being rich in soil and minerals, and others, from situa- 
 tion being extremely valuable to commerce,** let us see what 
 Sir George Simpson stated in his evidence the other day before 
 the coipmittee of the house of Commons. Sir George is 
 reported to have said, on the 26th February last, *• in 
 reference to the cultivation and colonization of the ieirilory 
 of the Hudson* s Bay Company, he had no hesitation in ex- 
 pressing his opinion that no part of it ivas fit for settlers.** 
 How does this comport with his previously written assertions, 
 when neither the title, nor the renewal of the charter, was in 
 immediate jeopardy ? ' 
 
 A much more lengthened account of Sir George Simpson's 
 work is here quoted than would have, been deemed necessary, 
 had he not been the principal Director and Govemor-in-chief 
 of the Hudson's Bay Company's possessions, and the witness in 
 whom they placed their chief reliance. — He is reported to be 
 the only Director who is familiar with all the internal workings 
 of their machinery, and there is not a station on their territories 
 that is not governed by his influence, nor any business conducted 
 without his control. Therefore, he may be said to represent 
 the Hudson's Bay Company, for all the other Directors are 
 ciphers compared with him, as regards the business details, 
 though they are equally cognizant of the principles on which 
 that business is conducted. 
 
 But in addition to this narrative, written at a period when 
 (little dreaming the time would arrive that the Charter of 
 the Company would be discontinued) Sir George was desirous 
 
12 
 
 m 
 
 yd 
 
 of giving to the -world a faithful description of the territory 
 over which he presided, there is another account, very enh'ght- 
 cning as regards the manner in which the Company conduct 
 their affairs in that unobserved region. 
 
 Mr. Wm. G. N. Kingston, in his " Western Wanderings ; 
 or, a Pleasure Tour in the Canadas,'" published in 18r)6, by 
 Chapman and Hall, alluding to the Hudson's Bay Company, 
 gives the following account in Vol. [I, pages 86 and 87. 
 
 "Amongst other subjects the Hudson's Bay Company 
 and their principles of action came on the tapis. Their policy 
 seems to be of the most illiberal and short-sighted character. 
 Afraid of losing the services of the half-caste and Indian 
 population, who now form a very considerable community in 
 the territory given up to their sway, should they discover the 
 high rate of wages they would be able to obtain in Canada, 
 they jealously close, to the utmost of their power, all communi- 
 cation with the British provinces ; nor will they allow any 
 goods to be brought in from thence for general use, having 
 them instead sent round in their own ships to their settlements 
 in Hudson's Bay, Once a-year only their bateaux come from 
 Montreal up the Ottawa laden with stores for their ports ; but 
 no general merchandise is conveyed by them, while their crews 
 are trusty old voyageurs, employed always in the same service, 
 who, from their peculiar habits, are not likely to gain any 
 information as to the true state of affairs in the colony, or if 
 they do, to communicate it to the population at large. The 
 American traders of Minnesota, the new State of the Union 
 bordering on the Hudson Bay territory, have, however, very 
 wisely taken advantage of this anti-free-trade system of the 
 Company, and, by pushing forward their own trading posts, 
 have induced the inhabitants of the southern districts to come 
 to them for all the goods they may require. The advantage 
 of this trade, which has now become very considerable, has 
 thus been entirely lost to Canada. It appears to be the belief 
 of the of;icers of the Hudson's Bay Company, that it is 
 necessary for the maintenance of their monopoly, to keep the 
 rest of the world ignorant of the real condition of their 
 
country ; but several of their writers, while broadly asserting 
 its inhospitable and sterile nature, have let out facts, which 
 prove that those regions over which their hunters and trappers 
 roam, are very^far from being sg unattractive as they would 
 have the world suppose. Among other facts it is stated, that 
 the buffalo bring forth their young in their territories at a late 
 period of the year, while corn of various descriptions grows 
 there in abundance ; and Sir George Simpson describes many 
 spots as rich and fertile, and abounding in game which only 
 exists in temperate regions. I have not his book at handi 
 but the point is worth looking into." 
 
 There is also a report current, and generally believed, 
 that the Hudson's Bay Company oppose every attempt made 
 to establish fishing stations in the excellent harbours along 
 the British coasts of Lake Superior, which are admirably 
 fitted for such stations, and that their agents instigate the 
 Indians to destroy the nets, huts, boats, and barrels of the 
 fishermen, and offer every annoyance in their power. If this 
 be not so, who or what is it that prevents the development of 
 the copper and iron wealth of the Canadian shore of the lake 
 to the same extent, as both have been for some time on the 
 American side ? This copper seems to be admitted to be 
 some of the finest in the world. The Directors of the Com*- 
 pany, one might have thought, would have gladly taken every 
 means to make known this fact ; to attract thither British 
 capital and enterprise ; to facilitate the working of the mines, 
 and to take care their agents ofiered every assistance, which 
 their experience of the country, and influence with the native 
 tribes could suggest. Have they done this, or any part of it ? 
 
 Then, it is said to be impossible to see how the trade with 
 the Indians is to be managed, if the mode to which they have 
 been accustomed for so long a period be abolished. But 
 exactly the same argument was advanced when it was proposed 
 to put an end to the great leviathan monopoly that Parliament 
 destroyed, viz. the exclusive tea trade of the East India 
 Company with China. Having succeeded in putting down 
 that, shall we allow to remain standing this, the last, and 
 not the least odious of all the monopolies ? 
 
:l 
 
 :U!^ 
 
 ir 
 
 If there is nothing to conceal, why the rigid secrecy which 
 the Company exact from all their subordinates and officers ? 
 If there is no opposition to colonization, why is the Company 
 now insisting upon the general unfitness for colonization, and 
 the great difficulty of reaching the Red River settlement, 
 where no clearing of forest is necessary, where the pasturage 
 is rich and the climate salubrious, where wheat, barley, and 
 Indian com grow abundantly, where the rivers abound with 
 excellent fish, and the unreclaimed lands swarm with game 
 of all descriptions ? 
 
 If, as Mr. Labouchere says, he feels bound to state, the 
 Company are not neglectful of their duty, as " Trustees for the 
 British people and also for the Indian population ;" how is it 
 that in the Colonial office a memorial has been lying un- 
 heeded since 1847, from a number of settlers and half castes 
 at Red River, bitterly complaining of the injustice, avarice, 
 and extortion practiced by the Company, and of their total 
 neglect of all attempts to educate, or in any way to civilize 
 the Indian population ? Such is their notion of what their 
 Governor, Sir George Simpson, calls " the divine task of 
 shedding on the natives the light of the Gospel.'* It is un- 
 necessary to say more, their own words condemn them, and 
 surely they are not fit persons to be trusted with power, or 
 to be compensated when deprived of it. 
 
 On perusing the difirerent works written by various Authors, 
 in which allusion is made to the Hudson's Bay Company, it is 
 curious to observe that all, except those written under the 
 auspices of the Company, agree in the injustice of their pro- 
 ceedings, and all arrive at a condemnatory conclusion. There 
 is, however, a work published by a Mr. Fitzgerald, which 
 particularly arrested my attention, and, for the sake of Justice 
 and Humanity, I trust that all that is therein stated is not true ; 
 else the curse of God as well as man, must rest upon this 
 Company, for the perusal of it makes the heart bleed with 
 grief, whilst the blood boils with indignation. This work, 
 published by Saunders, of Charing Cross, ought to be perused 
 by every Member of Parliament, before he can be deemed 
 competent to give a fair and just opinion on the subject. 
 
IS 
 
 \ 
 
 But, independent of these, there is a work just published, 
 called, "A Personal Narrative of the Discovery of the North- 
 West Passage," by Alexander Armstrong, M.D., R.N., 1857, 
 in which the author, who cannot have any interest in speaking 
 against the Company, makes allusion to it in such a way as to 
 deserve attention. Ai page 151, speaking of an Esquimaux 
 tribe they met, ^hat did not trade with the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, in consequence of their people having introduced 
 spirits amongst them, he says : " Through this channel all 
 their trade is carried on with the Russians and not with the 
 Company, in whose territory they reside. The reason they 
 assigned for not doing so when questioned was, that some of 
 the Indians had been killed by fire-water (spirits), which some 
 traders had given them to drink, and they feared they might 
 be treated in the same way. This statement is given as nearly 
 as possible in the words in which it was uttered ; and, if such 
 a practice exist, it is reprehensible in the highest degree." 
 
 At page 163, allusion is again made to the introduction of 
 spirits, and he states : " This was the second time we had 
 heard a similar story, since entering the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany's territories," At page 177, speaking of another tribe 
 they met, he says : " They repeated the accusation of the fire- 
 water having been given in barter, and its fatal results. On 
 enquiring as to the value of a Silver Fox Skin, and the amount 
 it realised in barter, they confirmed a story we had heard from 
 the women the day previous, that for three of those precious 
 Skins, they had got from the traders cooking utensils, which 
 we estimated at eight shillings and sixpence.* I may mention 
 
 • On enquiry, it appears that the Hudson's Bay Company have two 
 Public Sales of Furs in London every year, during the Spring and 
 Autumn months, and at their Sale last March they sold 909 Black or 
 Silver Fox Skins, at an average price of £17 28. Id. ; some of them 
 brought as high as j£49 10s. each. Assuming, therefore, that Dr. 
 Armstrong's account is correct ; at that Sale they obtained £51 6s. 3d. 
 for some trumpery cooking utensils, which only cost them 8s. 6d. ! — this 
 is a profit of 11,973^ per cent., or nearly 120 times more than the first, 
 cost. The total amount of that Sale alone, came to fully £242,900. This 
 statement the Company cannot deny. 
 
■im mnjn ii w - 
 
 16 
 
 III 
 
 that the Skin of the Silver Fox is one of the most valuable Furs, 
 and at the annual sale of the Hudson's Bay Company, varies 
 in price, sometimes bringing as high as twenty-five or thirty 
 guineas, so that an idea of their profits may be formed when 
 wc consider the amount of their original cost. How much 
 the condition of these poor creatures might be improved under 
 the influence oi free trade.** 
 
 At page 198, speaking of the Esquimaux westward of the 
 Mackenzie River, he says—" I trust the day is not far distant 
 when the light of civilisation will dawn upon this poor, 
 benighted, but intelligent race of beings ; for it is deplorable 
 to think that there exists in the Queen's dominions people, so 
 utterly neglected as they have been, without an efibrt having 
 ever been made by the rulers of their land (Hudson's Bay 
 Company) to ameliorate their condition, or remove them from 
 a state of heathen darkness. But where monopoly exists, 
 progress is arrested ; and it is to be hoped the wisdom of our 
 legislature will, ere long, destroy the one and promote the 
 other, and thus develop the resources of their country to 
 the permanent advancement and happiness of its inhabitants." 
 At page 341, he continues — "It is quite deplorable to 
 think of so fine a race as they were represented to be, being 
 so utterly neglected, and existing in a state of such abject 
 heathenism ; more particularly when we find the southern 
 boundary of their country within twenty-five miles of the 
 Northern limit of the extensive territories of that Company 
 ^ (Hudson's Bay), who obtained, and still hold, a charter granted 
 to them, that they might he the means of promoting commerce 
 and advancing civilization amongst these wild, hut interesting 
 people. How far they have succeeded in the fonner, they probably 
 can tell; but how they have neglected the latter, we have seen." 
 Now, after what has been stated of some of the pro- 
 ceedings of this Company, what is the result ? — Finding their 
 plea for a renewal of the Charter untenable, they now 
 talk of compensation ! — Compensation for what ? — Is it for 
 allowing them the undisturbed possession of a Charter that 
 was not only illegal from the first, but the conditions of which 
 
17 
 
 they have violated up to the present time ? Is it to rewaril their 
 Governor-in-chief for indecently falsifying himself before the 
 Senators of his Country ? Is it for jeopardising the character 
 of a Colonial Minister, by inducing him to make grants,, that were 
 derogatory to the interests of his Sovereign and his Country ? Is 
 it for entailing misery and destruction upon thousands through- 
 out the country, which is withering under its curse ? Is it for 
 shutting up the earth from the knowledge of man, and man 
 from the knowledge of God? Is it for starving the poor 
 Natives and then never deviating from what is stated to be 
 their ^* invariable rule of avenging the murder by Indians of any 
 of their servants. Blood for blood without trial of any kind?^* 
 Is it for forcing whole tribes of benighted British subjects (for 
 so they are), by famine, to cannabalism, and eventually to de- 
 struction ? 
 
 England had better pause, before she entertains the renewal 
 of such a Charter, or grants compensation for Blood. 
 
 There are many to whom even the name of the Hudson's 
 Bay Company is scarcely known, much less its proceedings. 
 The management of their affairs is inscrutable, for they never 
 publish any accounts, and refuse to give to their proprietary 
 any information — it is like a commercial tomb closed with the 
 key of death to all, except a favored few. It is, in fact, a 
 monopoly as injurious as it is unjust — its councils are unfathom- 
 able and its secrets unknown. With all the assumption of a self 
 constituted {luthority, it has defied Parliamentary interference 
 and Public scrutiny — it oppresses for power and demoralizes 
 for gain — its revenues are acquired in secret and it distributes 
 in silence. 
 
 The late debates in the House of Commons on the renewal 
 of the Charter to the Company, which expires in 1859, call 
 forth the serious reflection of every right thinking man. With- 
 out much political sagacity, or any extraordinary depth of 
 observation, the mind was led to a foregone conclusion on the 
 part of Government ; and though we are bound to give credit 
 to the assertion of Mr. Labouchere that such was not the case, 
 yet it was difficult to comprehend the lukewarmne^^ of 
 
1» 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 Government on a qi'.estion of suck vita] importance to the 
 nation, both as regards tlie loss or retention of those immense 
 territories, and also as regards the future well-being of 
 thousands yet unborn. If no other plea than that of humanity 
 vrere urged, surely the cries of an oppressed race are sufficient 
 to arouse the sympathies of Christianity. 
 
 The time, however, has now arrived, when the nation 
 expects the Commons of England will not any longer permit 
 Power to thwart Justice. The people of England demand 
 the restitution of their possessions, and the right of main- 
 taining them. 
 
 ANDREW FREEPORT. 
 LONDON, 18th May, 1857. 
 
 I 
 
 111. 
 
 I 
 
 Subsequently to the above being placed in the handn of the printer, a 
 curious document has been sent to me, which, my informunt says, has just 
 been issued, as customary, from the Hudson's Bay Company's House in the 
 City, to those persons who are in the habit of buying their Furs. It 
 shews the number of each kind of Skins the Company expects from 
 Vancouver's Island this year, (to be sold in their Public Sale next 
 Autumn) and at the estimated value given me, the total amount appears 
 to be upwards of £44,500, supposing they bring the same nrices at which 
 they sold last Autumn, as shewn below. 
 
 Does Lord Grey call a grant that produces £44,500 a year for one article, 
 nothing ? — If Furs to such an amount can be obtained, how much more 
 may be reasonably expected from other articles produced there? — Is it 
 nothing to deprive the Nation of all right of trading there ? The value of 
 such nothings is very important, in a national point of view. 
 
 IMPORTATION FROM VANCOUVER'S ISLAND, 
 
 Expected 1857. 
 
 Value last 
 Skins Autumn. 
 
 Beaver 15,500. 
 
 Badger 
 
 Bear 
 
 Fisher 
 
 Fox silver .... 
 
 „ CIOBS 
 
 ,. red 
 
 Lynx and cat. 
 
 95.. 
 
 40S0. 
 615., 
 105.. 
 358., 
 326.. 
 
 4760.. 
 
 Marten avoo. 
 
 . 9/3 each 
 
 . 1/8 .. 
 
 . 34/ „ 
 
 • 28/8 „ 
 .133/5 „ 
 . 46/2 „ 
 
 • 11/ » 
 
 ■ 10/8 „ 
 . 18/11 „ 
 
 Value last 
 Skius Autumn. 
 
 Mink 18,870 4/5 each 
 
 Musquash 13,450 Hid „ 
 
 Otter 2178 7/9 „ 
 
 ,. sea 178 373/7 „ 
 
 Raccoon... ,(.. 1470 2/7 „ 
 
 Seal, Hair 7780 8/1 1 „ 
 
 Wolf 66a~.... 5/8 „ 
 
 Wolverin 285 12/6 „